A meeting between representatives of three Bulgarian ministries, the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (DKEVR), and renewable energy industry representatives ended with an agreement to adopt legal changes ensuring the simplification of administrative procedures for the installation of photovoltaic panels on roofs and facades of existing buildings.

The Wednesday meeting also ended with agreement on the need to align Ordinance #6 from 2004 of the Minister of Economy, Energy, and Tourism on connecting consumers and independent producers to the electricity transmission and electricity distribution networks with the existing provisions of the Spatial Development Act and the Renewable Energy Sources Act, according to the press office of the Regional Development Ministry.

The meeting, which brought together representatives of the Regional Development Ministry, the Ministry of Economy, Energy, and Tourism, the Ministry of Environment and Water, Bulgaria's energy watchdog and renewable industry representatives, was initiated by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who used the opportunity to adamantly defend green energy.

Borisov extended a warm welcome to the officials of renewable energy companies, stressing that the process of green energy had dropped two-fold.

He suggested that energy efficiency investments would save Bulgaria the money for two nuclear plant units.

He noted, however, that the installation of a solar panel or wind turbine on a rooftop or façade of a building was equal to building a new house due to the large number of permits.

Commenting on the upcoming January 27 referendum on the development of nuclear energy in Bulgaria, Borisov noted that if Bulgarians planned to vote "yes", they were also supposed to come up with suggestions as to where the money for a NPP would come from.

"They forget about pensions and salaries for a period of 15 years and we start building the Belene NPP. By saying "yes", the people must be aware that this sum of BGN 22 B will come from maternity benefits, kindergartens, and infrastructure. There is no other source," Borisov stated, as cited by mediapool.bg.

During Wednesday's meeting with the Green Alternatives against Nuclear Power Plants organization, Nikola Gazdov, Chair of the Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association, argued that Bulgaria had to fix its electricity transmission network and its overall energy efficiency and put greater emphasis on the installation of solar panels and win turbines on roofs.

In the course of the meeting, renewable energy industry officials brought up the issue of radioactive waste from the Kozloduy NPP, claiming that Bulgarians' electricity bills would grow by some BGN 10-15 which would be spent on radioactive waste storage.

Gazdov reminded Borisov that prices of electricity form photovoltaic panels had dropped by 50% over the past 18 months

He suggested that 1000 MW of photovoltaic installations would cost around EUR 1 B, while a nuclear plant would use up at least EUR 5 B.

The Chair of the Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association also declared that he did not want to bequeath radioactive waste for the next 100 000 years to the future generations.

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